The Consequences of a Failure
by Roselize
Summary: Missing scenes between books 6 and 7. Voldemort shows the Malfoys the full extent of his wrath. Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We don't own anything but the plot.

A missing scene somewhere between books 6 and 7. One-shot. Written and Betaed with Kaillinne Arami.

The Consequences of a Failure

At that moment he could no longer feel the tears coming from his eyes, even though he knew they were there. He tried to make his body react, just to be able to clench and unclench his fist would be enough for him... but his body lay still, completely numbed by the pain. Fear washed over him as a choked sob escaped his lips.

"How does it feel, Draco? To be a failure" A man hissed hidden by the shadows of the dungeon. Draco had grown accustomed long ago to the dim lights and was not surprised when, by the flick of the mans' wand, his body rose a few feet from the ground and was flung unceremoniously head-first against the opposite side of the room. His upper body collided with the chains attached to the wall before falling hard on the stone ground.

"Answer me boy!" Voldemort demanded. Draco didn't have the strength to speak, already fighting a losing battle to obtain the air that had been knocked out of his lungs. Before he knew it the wand was pointing at his chest again and pain began to spread like a wildfire. First to his heart, then, agonizingly, to the rest of his body. His muscles seemed to be tearing apart and every single articulation in his body felt like it was being twisted in impossible ways.

Draco didn't care what happened to him anymore. He would have done anything to stop the pain. His hopes were answered when the pain died down turning into a dull ache. Using all the strength he could muster he looked up and was surprised to see his mother, pale and ashen faced, standing in the middle of the dungeon, the door behind her wide open. Seconds later Bellatrix ran inside and, grabbing Narcissa's arm, attempted to pull her sister back out.

Voldemort observed the scene mildly interested. "My lord. I beg you. Mercy! He's just a child!" Narcissa pleaded freeing herself from Bellatrix's grasp.

The dark lord simply laughed. A cold, cruel laugh that echoed around the dungeon. " Do you really think that I forgive that easily, Narcissa? Severus has lost his job as a spy both in Hogwarts and in the Order because your son was too weak to end Dumbledore's life. Yet your son still lives, does he not? Is that not merciful enough? Although, if he continues to be such a disappointment, I con assure you that my patience will not last for much longer." Slowly, deliberately, his blood-red eyes never leaving Narcissas's gray ones, Voldemort pointed his wand at Draco again. "Crucio" He whispered tauntingly.

The boy's screams filled the dungeon once more. "No, please stop!" Narcissas's voice was barely a whisper as tears began pouring down her face. Voldemort removed the curse, leaving Draco whimpering and shaking on the ground.

It took a while before Draco found his voice. "Let me die" He begged. "Please, just let me die" His words where completely void of emotion as were his eyes.. It seemed that he had given up both the will to fight and the will to live.

"Draco!" The blond woman screamed running towards her son. But he sister was much faster than her and mere steps away from the boy she had been immobilized. "Draco please! You have to hold on!" She was able to choke through tears.

"Take your sister from my presence Bellatrix." The dark lord commanded. "Immediately!"

Narcissa was dragged away, her sobs still echoing around the dungeon.

Draco didn't have time to prepare himself before the next curse hit him square in the chest. The pain exploded in his body once more, this time simply too much to bear. But the pain began to gradually subside. First just the tips of his fingers, then his hands and arms. The blissed numbness stretched onto his shoulders and down his spine, soon claiming both legs. His breathing became even more shallow as black spots blurred his vision, Seconds later, the darkness claimed him.

Lucius Malfoy was standing in front of the dungeons, waiting to find out what had become of his son, when Voldermort walked out.

"My Lord, I-"

"Ah, Lucius." The cold voice interrupted him. " Make yourself useful, won't you? Remove what is left of your son from the dungeons." He ordered before turning a corner and dissapering from view.

Fearing the worst Lucius pushed open the door. When he saw the lifeless body on the floor he thought, for a moment, that his greatest fear had come true. He rushed to his son's side, a trembling hand searching for a pulse. Relief washed over him when he found it, along with raspy breathing. As gently as he could he picked Draco's body up in his arm. Guilt filled him with every step he took. 'If only I had not lost favor, this would have never happened.' He thought to himself.

Draco's eyes opened slowly, blurry images of silver and black were all he could make out. He felt like he was floating, but he really couldn't tell. "Dad?" He managed to whisper in a croaked voice. The movement abruptly stopped. " I'm sorry I failed." He mumbled barely loud enough for anyone to hear before drifting back to unconsciousness.

END

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The elegant hallways of the Malfoy Manor seemed more like a maze to Lucius at the moment, but his steps made no noise as they began to follow the path almost on instinct. He told himself to just concentrate on his breathing, not on the unconscious boy in his arms. To concentrate on the marble stairway and not on the limp body he was carrying. To fix his gaze on the ornamented walls he was rushing by, and not on the black stains Draco´s blood was leaving on the emerald moquette. He walked straight ahead, turned left and then left again before stopping in front of the second door on the right. It opened silently to allow him in.

Lucius found himself in a large luxuriously furnished room with a huge window overlooking the grounds and a king-sized bed under it. He barely registered his wife´s scream when she materialized by his side, her swollen red eyes questioned him as her trembling hands reached out for her son.

"Lucius", she whispered, trying her hardest to not allow her voice to break. "He...he isn't... he can't be-"

"Draco is still alive", Lucius reassured her, his face completely devoid of any emotion. He hoped it was enough, he hoped that a stoic face would make people ignore who bad his hands were trembling. "He´s just unconscious." He couldn´t tell if those words were meant to calm Narcissa or to ease his own grief.

Lucius walked over to the bed and put Draco down upon it. Narcissa rushed over to her son's side at once and began to stroke his pale cheek and carefully brush the hair out of his closed eyes. "Oh Merlin, he's bleeding!" She exclaimed as she pulled her hand away and found her fingers red with blood.

"Accio Dittany", Lucius muttered, making a small bottle fly to his hand. He uncorked it with one fluent movement and handed it to Narcissa who dabbed the liquid onto the cuts on Draco's head. The wounds began to hiss for a moment and immediately after began to scar. Narcissa put the bottle on top of the small bedside cabinet, looked at her son again, and burst into a new batch of fresh tears. In a moment Lucius reached out to her and hugged her close. She sobbed her heart out onto his shoulder. "Don't cry, honey", he mumbled to her silk blond hair, "Draco is strong. He's going to be all right. I promise."

They stood there for a few minutes, holding each other, hoping that they could wake up soon from the nightmare their lives had turned into. Finally, Narcissa broke the silence. "I'm sorry for breaking down like this, Lucius." She whispered, "but I... I just can't take it anymore. My son, my only son! Thrashing on the ground, screaming in agony! And then begging, actually _begging_ for his death!"

"He what?!", Lucius exclaimed, breaking the embrace to stare into her eyes.

"Begging Lucius.", Narcissa replied, wiping the drops of moisture from her eyes. "He was laying there, shaking, trying to find his voice. 'Let me die', he said, 'Please. Just let me die'. And I couldn't do anything! I´ve never felt so helpless.", She sobbed. "Two hours. He´s been enduring the Cruciatus Curse for two whole hours. My boy. My poor, poor boy."

A small moan alerted the couple that Draco was slowly returning to conscious. His eyes opened slowly, trying to adjust to the new light."Where...what...what happened?", he asked in a weak voice. He felt dizzy and couldn't think straight. After a few deep breaths his vision started to clear, but then a wave of pain hit him. Every part of his body was aching all over, almost as if... as if he had been tortured. The memory of the past hours hit him the force of the Hogwarts Express. He _had_ been tortured. By Voldemort!

He tried to sit up in sudden panic, making his head spin as he sank back onto the bed. He was in one of the upper rooms, he thought to himself, and Voldemort was nowhere in sight. The only people with him were his parents. His father standing by his bed, his mother sitting on the edje, watching him. His Mothers face was tear-streaked while his father´s expression was grim. "Mother? Father?", he managed to croak out with his dry throat, "what happened?"

There was a few seconds of silence until Lucius finally spoke. "You fainted.", he said simply, no details, nothing to decorate de story, just the truth as plainly as possible. "The Dark Lord left you alone after that."

"But... I don't understand...why didn't he kill me?", Draco asked confused, his vision beginning to blur again. His father opened his mouth to answer, but was he was interrupted by a loud knocking at the door.

"Come in.", Narcissa said, her voice cold as ice. The handle turned and the door opened to allow Bellatrix Lestrange into the room. "How is he?", she asked casually, glancing briefly at her nephew.

"He's alive!", Narcissa hissed, jumping to her feet and breaking her cold charade into a thousand pieces. "But only just! You! Why? _Why_ do you _ALWAYS_ have to interfere?!"

"Cissy? What...", Bellatrix said, utterly bemused.

"Why did you have to stop me when I tried to help my son!! You practically _dragged _me away from those dungeons. I can't _believe_ I have the misfortune of having someone so foul and self-centred like _you_ for a sister!! You..."

"Cissy, calm...-", Lucius took hold of her arm in a feeble attempt to soothe her. He quailed under the outraged look she shot at him and let go at once.

"NO, I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!!", she screamed, her expression livid. She drew her wand and pointed it at Bellatrix. "Protego", the latter quickly mumbled before her sister had the chance to scream an incantation. The charm expanded to the middle of the room, creating a wall between Bellatrix and her furious sister.

"Cissy, listen to me!", Bella exclaimed in a sharp voice. "Don't you understand you stupid girl? The Dark Lord doesn't show mercy! If I had not interfered, he would have killed the both of you. Do not try to make the Dark Lord change his mind once he has decided to do something. It will only anger him. And we both know what can happen when he´s angered!", Her tone indicated that there was no discussing her logic as her gaze rested on Draco, still laying helplessly and confused on the bed. "Anyway", she continued, "I´ve come here to tell you that there´ll be a meeting tonight. Everyone needs to attend, and that includes Draco." The charm faded a few seconds later, but by then Bellatrix had already turned around and left the room, the door slowly swinging shut behind her. Once her sister was out the room the anger began to drain out of Narcissa's face and a look between fear and desperation replaced it. Slowly, she sank into an armchair and brought her hands to her face.

"What´s going to happen to us now?", she whispered. Both she and Draco looked at Lucius, expecting him to answer. He looked back at them, his expression completely blank. "I don't know." he finally mumbled back, "I just don't know".


End file.
